ANOTHER DIMENSION
Kerry Hotels’ new urban resort in Hong Kong promises more room for life, reports.
presidential suite (above) and Big Bay Cafe (top). The hotel is designed to appeal to a broad range of guests and users. Lindsay Andrews
f it is in those moments when time and space are intimately experienced as the here and now that we are best able to appreciate their value, then Hong Kong, where it can seem that life is being lived on permanent fast forward and less than 0.01 centimeters apart, would appear to be an unlikely setting for a heightened awareness of the time being.
However, the first new hotel to open on the Kowloon waterfront since 1995 belies that notion, as its unique design and attentive service create the distinct impression that space and time have been somehow stretched relative to the rest of the city.
There is nothing quite like time traveling beyond hour-marked differences of a journey to make a trip away from the familiar more engaging , some thing the Kerr y Hotel, Hong Kong accomplishes with some panache, offering as it does “a different dimension” for experiencing the city, in the words of Madhu Rao, acting president of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.
The third and flagship property of the Hong Kong-based hospitality company’s vibrant young Kerry brand, the apparent ability of the hotel to warp space-time is the consummation of both its design and location, as elevated above the waterfront promenade by Hung Hum Pier it is detached from the usual clamor and commotion of crowds and traffic.
However, that doesn’t mean it is divorced from the lifebeat of the city. It connects seamlessly with the adjacent public spaces along the waterfront, and its unique multilevel podium design and landscaped gardens not only offer unimpeded views of the harbor but also break the distinction between private and public areas enabling the hotel to “fully embrace the local community and culture”, as Nicholas Smith, the hotel’s general manager, says.
Indeed, the hotel is both a manifes- tation, and to some extent a driver, of the area’s transformation, helping to give a new lease on life to what was previously considered a sleepy and no-reason-to-visit residential area.
The goal, as designer Andre Fu explains, was to create a hotel that would appeal to a broad range of guests and users, offering not only a pragmatic stay for business travelers and a lifestyle stay for contemporary globetrotters, but also an urban-resort-inspired experi- ence for the local community.
For visitors, the hotel also acts as an appealing portal to the less wellknown yet intriguing haunts of this part of the city, where legacies of the past — for instance the oldest cinema still running in the city — rub shoulders with intimations of the future, such as a site devoted to a zero carbon world.
The aptly named, The Bay Area Guide, presents some selected highlights in Hung Hom, Kowloon Bay and To Kwa Wan to inspire your own exploration of the area’s vibrant character and food culture.
An expression of the changes revitalizing the area, the hotel has already established itself as a wining and dining destination in its own right. All five of its restaurants, as well as its bar, offer outdoor terraces and casual and relaxed environments where family and friends can enjoy each other’s company, as Darren Hilditch, director of food and beverage, says.
While the hotel’s outdoor spaces set the tone for its urban resort character, they also facilitate the hotel’s dedication to offering distinctive venues not only for largescale conferences, exhibitions and events, but also for more intimate celebrations of special occasions.
Meanwhile, the hotel ’s air of relaxed luxury is fully evident in the guest rooms, which are fashioned for both comfort and convenience and range from 42 square meters for a Deluxe Sea View Room to 294 sq m for the Presidential Suite, which comes with its own private bar and terrace.
So in the end, after all the exploring, we arrive where we started, having made the most of our time and more room for life.
Contact the writer at lindsayandrews@ chinadaily.com.cn
The hotel is a flight of steps away from the Hung Hom Ferry Pier, and Whampoa MTR Station and Hung Hom Train Station are just a brief stroll away. Hong Kong International Airport is 40 minutes from the hotel by car and the Airport Express Line (Kowloon Station) can be reached in 10 minutes by car.
Transportation
Crowne Plaza Beijing Sun Palace brought pure Yunnan art to the capital, with the ninth Yunnan Culture Festival staged in early June. During the event, guests joined the Water Splash ceremony to experience the real culture of the Dai ethnic group in Yunnan province in Southwest China. The event also featured other artistic performances from the province and an authentic Yunnan buffet.
AWARDS
ace, to present signature Cantonese barbecue dishes at the Summer Palace in June. 024-2436-6666 Kerry’s Kitchen at Kerry Hotel, Beijing will offer a Father’s Daythemed brunch on June 18. The hotel will also provide diners with personalized bottles of wine printed with his or her father’s favorite picture, if he or she sends a highresolution photo to comm.hbkc@ thekerryhotels.com and makes a booking before June 13. Fathers will have a chance to win in a lucky draw for a five-night cruise trip to Japan for the whole family, weekend stays at Kerry Hotel, Beijing, and food and beverage vouchers. 010-8565-2088